


Better Than Ice Cream

by perclexed



Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: F/M, Lewis Summer Challenge 2015, M/M, Multi, Post-Season/Series 08, Seduction, Threesome - F/M/M, accidental use of food as a catalyst for seduction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 05:16:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4552047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perclexed/pseuds/perclexed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“<i>All our reasoning ends in surrender to feeling</i>,” James murmurs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Than Ice Cream

**Author's Note:**

> This took a village. Thanks as always to Tehomet & Medie, and to Somniare & Owlbsurfinbird for all the excellent beta work and suggestions. I kept poking this story, adding bits to it, so any remaining mistakes are my own and are not a reflection on the true awesomeness of the people listed here.

It’s the start of the late summer bank holiday weekend, and James is off the rota for once. Lizzie, looking forward to a weekend at the seaside cottage that Tony’s aunt apparently owns, had left work with a truly happy smile and James was glad to see her recovering well after the mess with Lawrie and Carson. She’d only been cleared for full duty a few weeks ago, but she was back to her usual capable, efficient self and their partnership was finally beginning to jell.

He hadn't even taken any work-related files home for review, telling himself 'just this once' as he'd slipped out the door. The driving need to bury himself in work has eased up a bit as he’s not quite so miserable and not feeling so completely alone now that Robbie’s back on the job.

The fact that temperatures outside were hovering somewhere around the ‘fires of hell’ mark could also have something to do with it. It’s hard to think when the air feels like soup and there’s no relief to be found from the heat.

Robbie and Laura also have the time off, as James discovered when Robbie invited him to join them for a relaxing dinner at the house. “Celebrate the start of the long weekend, like,” Robbie said as he leaned against the door to James’ office.

“Are we going on another Voyage of Discovery, or will Laura be in charge of the repast?” He’s out of indigestion tablets, after all, and he’ll need to nip to the chemist to pick some up. James has learned the hard way to ask who’s doing the cooking whenever one of these invitations is issued. It’s not that Robbie’s attempts will stop James from coming to dinner, but it helps to know ahead of time so he can tuck something away in his own fridge to make up for the experience. 

“Ha, very funny,” Robbie said. “She was muttering over cookbooks earlier this week, and the fridge is full of items I don’t recognise. I have no idea what we’re eating, but she’s looking forward to making whatever it is.”

James is pretty sure that his sigh of relief is silent and goes unnoticed. He’s happy to let Robbie think that he’d only been taking the piss out of the man if it means his stomach lining won’t take a beating this evening.

Alas, Laura had allowed Robbie to make the dessert. ‘Attempt to make’ would probably be more accurate, seeing as how he’d been distracted by a phone call from Lyn, forgotten to put the eggs and the vanilla in the molten chocolate cake, and the resulting item was less ‘molten’ and more ‘stone cold solidified lava’. Also, inedible.

Though honestly, why Robbie had thought it would be a good idea to turn the oven on and add to the temperature in the house was beyond James. Luckily Laura, always thinking ahead (and possibly based on past experience), saved the day with a couple of boxes of ice cream treats stashed away in the freezer.

James gazes contentedly at the couple sharing the table. Robbie had been able to get away a couple of hours earlier than James, and had changed into a worn pair of jeans and a short-sleeved shirt. Laura, beautiful as always, is in a light-coloured, sleeveless sundress. Both are barefoot, tousled, and fairly merry after a bottle and a half of wine. They were playfully arguing over some conversational point James had missed while he concentrated on unwrapping his Cornetto.

Now, of course, James wishes he’d taken the time to stop off at home instead of coming over directly from the station. He’s unbent enough to remove his shoes and his tie, and even gone so far as to roll up his sleeves and loosen a few buttons at his throat. It feels a bit dangerous, like he might be dropping his guard too much. But it’s far too hot not to, and he’s getting better about being with them when they’re doing the couple thing. It doesn’t hurt quite so much to see them happy, together.

He is still very warm though, and idly undoes one additional button while leaning back in his chair at the dining room table, balancing on two legs while he contemplates the best place to start eating his frozen dairy and chocolate treat.

“I just want you to know that I’m not going to sew your scalp back together once you fall and crack your head open,” Laura says tartly as she nods pointedly at the way he’s sitting.

James, naturally, gives her his best cheeky smirk as he leans back just that little bit further and licks at his cone, tempting fate and Laura’s patience. He’s rewarded with a scowl and a shake of that blonde head, but it’s accompanied by an affectionate smile and an eye roll, so he figures he’s forgiven.

Robbie snorts a laugh, stands and goes to get the open bottle of wine from the fridge, along with yet another that was chilling. He makes a brief detour to the freezer, unwrapping a Magnum while he scoffs at Laura’s final salvo in their debate. “I’m just saying, it wouldn’t have happened that way,” he says as he starts back toward the table, but doesn’t offer any additional proof for his point. 

Laura, grinning at James around her lemon ice lolly, winks and sits back with a smug smile at Robbie. “That’s all you’ve got? ‘It wouldn’t have happened that way’? I shall accept your surrender as you ignominiously quit the field of battle, kind sir.” 

“ _All our reasoning ends in surrender to feeling_ ,” James murmurs. At Laura’s inquiring look, he adds the attribution. “Blaise Pascal.”

Robbie smiles and shakes his head fondly as he returns to the table with the wine in one hand. “I’m not surrendering, Laura. I’m simply shifting the battle to a different field,” he says with a cheeky wink at Laura. “One which we can discuss at length and with, ah, _feeling_. Later.” 

As Robbie’s passing behind James’ chair to sit at his own, the cone in James’ hand crumbles with no warning when he goes to take a bite, and an enormous blob of ice cream lands in the hollow of his throat. Robbie goes to brace the back of his chair with a hip when James flails in surprise and nearly loses his balance.

“Dammit! I just bought this shirt!” James scowls and considers his options. If he moves, the ice cream will slide over his skin and stain his shirt. If Robbie moves away, the chair will fall. If he tips James forward, the shirt is a goner. It may be a moot point though, because the ice cream is melting fast and he can already feel cold liquid spreading over his throat and chest. “Laura, can you…?”

He had intended to ask Laura to grab a tea towel, but his voice trails off in a strangled gasp when she, ever practical, sets her ice lolly down on her plate and simply leans over and uses three fingers to scoop most of the ice cream off his skin. Somewhat disconcerting, that, but James is even more unprepared when she stares right into his eyes and runs her tongue suggestively over her ice cream covered fingers. If he had to put a label on her actions, he’d say she was being downright provocative, which of course would be absurd.

“May I?” Laura asks, and James can only nod vaguely as he’s not entirely sure what she’s asking permission for. 

He’s definitely not expecting her to duck her head, lean in close and use her _mouth_ to start cleaning the rest of the ice cream from his skin.

James dimly registers the sound and feeling of the remains of the cone splintering in his hand when it clenches in shock, but he’s frozen in place while his brain desperately tries to process what appears to be, but can’t actually be, happening.

Robbie tuts. “You’re going to make it worse,” he says. Keeping a hip braced against James’ chair, he leans to the side long enough to set the wine bottles on the table and his ice cream on a napkin, then gently takes James’ ice cream-covered hand by the wrist. “Have to clean you up a bit. Do you mind?”

James, feeling more than a little bewildered, and distracted by the wicked chuckle that’s vibrating against his skin where Laura’s lips are trailing over his throat, murmurs, “All right?” 

But he’s not prepared for the way Robbie smiles slightly and begins a series of slow licks and sucking kisses all over James’ hand, cleaning away the remains of the ice cream. The contrast between the cold ice cream and the heat of Robbie’s mouth send shivers up James’ spine and he can feel himself break out in goosebumps all over.

“This okay?” Robbie whispers, mouth brushing his knuckles in what would be a perfectly appropriate courtly kiss if not for the wicked glint in Robbie’s eye.

James can do nothing but stare, flabbergasted, his jaw gone lax in complete astonishment, as Robbie runs his tongue over James’ palm. James nods hesitantly. Perhaps the chair legs have given out and he’s cracked his skull the way Laura had warned him about a few moments ago? He can’t imagine any other scenario in which he’d have the chance to be this intimate with Robbie with Laura’s apparent approval.

He does hope that if he’s split his scalp that he’s not bleeding too heavily on the floor. It’d be a pity to ruin the rug.

“James?” Laura sits back as she says his name, licking at lips shiny with melted ice cream, and he flicks a glance towards her. She smiles at whatever she can see on James’ face.

“…What?” James finally manages to find his voice but promptly loses it again when Robbie sucks two of James’ fingers into his mouth all the way up to the third knuckle. James can do little but blink in bewilderment even as his breath catches when a bolt of pure desire catches him off guard. Robbie’s standing close enough that James can see his pupils dilating. Both of them inhale sharply when Robbie sucks hard at James’ fingers. It’s not hard to imagine how that hot, wet mouth would feel closing around his rapidly stiffening cock.

Laura’s sharp nip at his throat makes him start in surprise, eyes sliding closed on a whimper when it’s followed by her tongue soothing the sting. He can feel her clever fingers slowly but surely pulling his shirt free of his trousers, and he manages to pull together just enough brainpower to use his free hand to gently grasp Laura by the back of the neck and pull her away.

“I do...OH! Don’t underst… nngh!" James says, far too breathlessly for his own liking. The feeling of Robbie’s short fingernails gently raking up the inside of his forearm from elbow to wrist promptly derails any thoughts James’ managed to gather, and his composure waves a white flag and promptly quits the field at the unabashedly needy moan emerging from his own throat in response.

“To be fair, Laura, we were going to _talk_ to him about it, remember? Not just spring it on him?” Robbie shoots her an exasperated look.

Laura’s nimble hands make short work of the buttons on James’ shirt. James can only stare, nonplussed, at her progress even as she responds to her lover. “Honestly, Robbie, were we ever going to get a better opening than that?”

Robbie nods, thoughtfully. “Suppose not. You’re right.”

“Sorry, what?” James has a fleeting moment where he wonders if he’s been hit over the head by a suspect. He guesses that he’ll be quite embarrassed if he wakes up from this dream and there’s a nurse next to his hospital bed to witness the massive erection he’s suddenly, and quite visibly, sporting. “Am I dreaming?”

“Not a dream, bonny lad,” Robbie says, reaching out to brush the knuckles of his free hand over James’ cheek. “Though I think you may have to tell us more about your dreams if they go anything like this.”

Having freed all the buttons on James’ shirt, Laura sits back and winks up at Robbie. “C’mon Cambridge. Use that massive brain of yours. What do you think is happening?” Of course, any chance James has at actually answering her question is completely thwarted when she flicks the sides of his shirt open. “Let me know if you’re uncomfortable with this,” she says as she places both palms on his belly and runs her hands firmly up the length of his newly bared torso, flicking a curious finger at each nipple as she goes.

James’ head falls back to rest against the back of his chair as he arches into her touch, and he looks up to see Robbie smiling down at him. “Robbie? ‘M so confused.”

“Let’s make it not confusing then,” Robbie says, smile widening. “We miss you. It was horrible when you were away. When you got back, you avoided us like the plague, and we missed you even more.” Robbie reaches out and cradles James’ face with his free hand. “Laura and I’ve been talking about it, and frankly we find that unacceptable.”

James immediately misses the feeling of Laura’s hands on his skin when she pulls back enough so he can see her clearly. “This house, this relationship, our hearts? There’s room for three. We want you with us. We’re not complete without you.” Searching her face, James can’t find any hint, any suggestion that she’s not completely serious.

“James. Let us love you?” Robbie asks gently, hand cradling the side of James’ head. Robbie nods at Laura, who reaches out to place one small hand over James’ heart, which feels like it’s going to explode out of his chest as he begins to understand exactly what they’re offering.

“Because we do love you, James,” she says with a shy sort of smile. “And we want to show you just how much.”

Dumbfounded, James stares at her, and then blinks up at Robbie whose face is almost shockingly open. James’ breath catches at the love and desire he can see there, and when he helplessly turns his eyes back to Laura he can see the same in her face too.

James has to close his eyes for a moment, overwhelmed. He’s loved Robbie practically since the moment they met, and though he told himself it was impossible for Robbie to return his affections, there’d been a tiny spark of hope that persisted in burning in the most secret, most guarded part of his heart. 

A flame that he felt extinguish itself as he witnessed the kiss in the pub between Robbie and Laura upon his return from Croatia. He’d been so empty without that tiny bit of hope that he’d walked across Spain for months, trying to find something to fill the void in his soul. He hadn’t managed it, and had returned to Oxford and a job that was at least familiar. It didn’t much matter what he did for a living since he wasn’t doing it with Robbie.

Only Jean Innocent, damn her, had lured Robbie out of retirement and there was nowhere for James to run, or hide, to get away from Lewis’ gentle and persistent prodding at his defences. Laura, too, had started undermining his determination to keep his distance, starting with a kiss on the cheek and heartfelt congratulations at his promotion. In the months since, she’s managed to deepen their friendship despite all of James’ attempts to keep things light and superficial. To keep the two of them at arm’s length.

But they’d just kept wearing away at him. Kindly but relentlessly, and sometimes cheekily, chipping away at the walls he’d built to keep them out and the tattered remains of his heart intact. Every smile, every invitation to coffee or lunch, pints at the pub or dinner at their place, every moment he’d spent with them both has battered the walls down, and stripped him of his armour and all of his defences.

Maybe it’s the heat. Maybe it’s the fact that being here with them tonight just felt so good. Maybe it’s that he’s just so god damn tired of being alone and miserable. And maybe Robbie cooked tonight, and he’s been accidentally poisoned and he’s hallucinating, but it certainly feels like a dream come true. Does he dare to reach out and grab his own personal brass ring?

“James?” Robbie’s voice breaks the moment. 

When James finally does surrender, it’s almost shockingly sudden. The chair legs hit the floor with a bang, and he practically lunges at Laura, seizing her face with one hand to her cheek, the other wrapping around her tightly enough to lift her to sit on the table as he pours his relief and his gratitude into his kiss. He pulls away long enough to pull a breath into starved lungs, and can feel her hands come up to brush the wetness from his cheeks.

“ _Yes_ ,” he manages to gasp out. “God, yes. Please. Anything. Everything.”

“Silly man,” she murmurs, brushing soft, sweet kisses over his face. James can’t help the tiny sound that escapes his throat at her tenderness, and nearly sighs in relief at the large, warm hand that comes up to cradle the back of his neck. He opens his eyes to see Laura smile and nod in Robbie’s direction. “I think you’ve waited long enough, don’t you?”

James turns to see Robbie already reaching for him, and is unceremoniously tugged by the hips into a warm, welcoming embrace. James isn’t sure which of them moans louder, but he all but goes limp in relief at the feeling of being held close by this beloved man. His head drops to Robbie’s shoulder and he knows it’s all too telling, the way he’s clutching at him, trembling with a heady mix of anticipation and terror at being given what he’s wanted for all these years, but never really thought he’d have.

He pulls back just enough to be able to see Robbie’s face, and is relieved to see the same longing and anticipation in those rapidly darkening eyes. “Robbie?” he murmurs.

“Go on then. Give us a kiss,” Robbie says, tipping his chin up in invitation and meeting James halfway.

Their very first kiss is hesitant, hardly more than brief press, lips barely caressing one another before James pulls back to run his thumb over Robbie’s lower lip.

“Yeah?” James says, giving Robbie one last chance to back out.

“Yeah,” Robbie whispers with a tiny, tender smile as he closes the gap and seals his mouth to James’.

Their second kiss is nothing at all like the first. James thought that the temperatures outside were hot, but the blistering heat of Robbie’s mouth makes him feel like he’s burning to ash where he stands. They’re devouring one another, tasting deeply, seeking out each other’s most sensitive places. James smiles into the kiss when he runs the tip of his tongue over the roof of Robbie’s mouth and Robbie thrusts helplessly against him in response. Robbie gets his own back though when he deliberately sucks on James’ tongue, and chuckles darkly in satisfaction when James’ knees nearly give way at the wave of lust that swamps him as a result.

Later, when he looks back on this, James will remember not just how he felt like he was drowning in physical sensation, but he’ll remember how everything sounded too. Robbie’s choked sob when their lips finally made contact. His own needy whimpers. The sound of cloth ripping and buttons pinging off furniture as too eager hands prove too much for cotton and seams held together with thread. The clink of belt buckles hitting the bedroom floor after they all manage to stumble their way out of the dining room and up the stairs. The whisper of a dress sliding over skin to puddle on the bedroom floor.

Laura’s guttural moan as his lips close over one of the most sensitive parts of her, muffled by the clench of her thighs around his head. Robbie’s surprisingly breathy exclamation when he found just the right spot inside.

His own voice shouting in exultation when he finally tips over the edge into bliss.

But that will be later. Right now, as he arches up into the shockingly cold mouth closing over his nipple, James reflects that perhaps this heat wave isn’t so horrible after all. Laura, in a moment of inspiration, had scooped her ice lolly and Robbie’s ice cream bar up and brought them to bed with her.

James has never been so happy to be covered in fruit juice and chocolate in his whole life. He can’t even bring himself to mind the sticky sensation on his skin that isn’t actually fruit juice _or_ chocolate.

“These sheets are a total write off,” Laura says, panting, and not without a certain amount of satisfaction.

“The idea that chocolate would stain cloth is how we got here, remember?” James murmurs against her left shoulder, licking at what was probably a smear of pistachio ice cream. “I’m certainly never going to look at vanilla the same way again.”

“Well,” Robbie says, as he rolls towards Laura on her right, sliding a teasing hand over her hip and up the centre of her body, “Since they’re a write off anyway, maybe I should mention there’s caramel sauce in the fridge?”

“We’ve got all weekend,” Laura says, arching her back and burying her hand in Robbie’s hair.

“More like the rest of our lives,” Robbie rumbles as he leans over Laura to take James’ mouth in a fervent kiss.

And that, James thinks, as he loses himself in their welcoming arms, is much, much better than ice cream.

**Author's Note:**

> Record breaking heat in my area this summer spawned this little scene. Well, and a sincere desire to get James out of his clothes. Heat exhaustion is no joke. *nods with wide eyed sincerity* 
> 
> I live for comments. Just sayin'.
> 
> You can find me on [tumblr](http://perclexed.tumblr.com) here, where I tag my posts with the most ridiculous free form rubbish imaginable.


End file.
